"A treasure trove of up-to-date ancient information on cannabis. High recommended to round out your library on religious uses of psychoactive drugs."– Julie Holland, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry @ NYU School of Medicine. of The Pot Book. A Complete Guide To Cannabis.

"This book is fascinating! There can be little doubt about a role for cannabis in Judaic religion . . . there is no way that so important a plant as a fiber source for textiles and nutritive oils and one so easy to grow would have gone unnoticed, and the mere harvesting of it would have induced an entheogenic reaction." —Carp P. Ruck, professor, Boston University

Seeking to identify the plant origins of the early sacramental beverages Soma and Haoma, this study draws a connection between the psychoactive properties of these drinks and the widespread use of cannabis among Indo-Europeans during this time. Exploring the role of these libations as inspiration for the Indian Rig Veda and the Persian Avestan texts, this examination discusses the spread of cannabis use across Europe and Asia, the origins of the Soma and Haoma cults, and the shamanic origins of modern religion.

Chris Bennett is an expert in the use of ethnobotanicals. He has contributed articles to numerous magazines, including Cannabis Culture and High Times, and he is the author of several books, including Green Gold the Tree of Life: Marijuana in Magic and Religion and Sex, Drugs, Violence and the Bible. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.